Manchester United defeated Brighton 2-0 in their final Premier League fixture of the season on Sunday afternoon as goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund gave them the perfect springboard for the FA Cup final.
Brighton were by far the better side in the first-half with Valentin Barco forcing a save from Andre Onana and Joao Pedro drilling a low effort just wide of the far post. United's only opportunity of the half came when Scott McTominay blazed over the bar after a brilliant counter-attack.
With news of Newcastle's comfortable victory over Brentford filtering through, Erik ten Hag turned attention to the FA Cup final with Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez both replaced on the hour mark.
It didn't stop them from finding the net though, with Diogo Dalot the unlikely goal scorer when he latched onto a brilliant pass by Casemiro to give his side the lead midway through the second-half.
Brighton continued to push for an equaliser but found themselves two goals behind when substitute Rasmus Hojlund scored a brilliant individual goal to seal the win for his side.
Despite the win, Newcastle's victory means Ten Hag's side only hopes of qualifying for Europe next reason rely on them defeating Man City in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium next weekend.
Here is how we rated the United players:
1. Andre Onana - 6
A good save to deny Barco early on. He had little protection from his defence all afternoon but performed well when required. | Manchester United via Getty Images Photo: Manchester United via Getty Images
2. Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 6
Easily beaten by Barco, though he improved as the match went on. A few neat moments on the ball, but he offered little going forward. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
3. Casemiro - 8
This was like watching him last season again. A sensational goal line clearance to deny Pedro a certain goal and some excellent passes at the other end, including the assist for Dalot. Inspired performance. | Manchester United via Getty Images Photo: Manchester United via Getty Images
4. Lisandro Martinez - 6
Made a positive impact at the back on his return to the side but still looks slightly off the pace. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: AFP via Getty Images